Division Re-alignment in 1974

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jarko2004

Registered User
Sep 15, 2004
1,024
18
Vancouver Island
I've been wondering since I was 9 years old how they came up with these divisions. If you take out the 3 West coast teams, they are sort of regional, but not really.

Adams: Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, California
Norris: Montreal, Detroit, Pittsburg, LA, Washinton (expnsion team)
Patrick: Atlanta, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, Philadelphia
Smythe: Chicago, St.Louis, Minnesota, Vancouver, Kansas City (expnsion team)


The Smythe was so bad that Vancouver won it the next year.
 

Chili

En boca cerrada no entran moscas
Jun 10, 2004
8,440
4,269
I'm guessing here but from memory, they were looking at competitive balance in those days. Like when Chicago was moved to the West division a few years before. I don't remember how the schedule worked, so it may not have resulted in much more travel. I do know that they wanted to seperate the expansion teams.
 

Jarko2004

Registered User
Sep 15, 2004
1,024
18
Vancouver Island
I think the schedules were completely equal. I know when there were 21 teams (when the WHA teams joined), you played the whole league 4 times. Way better than now.
 

reckoning

Registered User
Jan 4, 2005
7,012
1,251
Jarko2004 said:
I think the schedules were completely equal. I know when there were 21 teams (when the WHA teams joined), you played the whole league 4 times. Way better than now.

When they went to 4 divisions in `74-`75 teams played the teams in their division 6 times and the rest of the teams 4 times ( a few 5 to make 80 games). When Cleveland dropped out in `78 teams played their division rivals 8 times and everyone else 4 times. The schedule was completely balanced for `79-`80 and `80-`81. In `81-`82 they switched to playing teams in their division 8 times and all the other teams 3 times.

All of those were better than the current format. Imagine if during the prime of Orr or Gretzky that half the league could only watch them live once every 3 years. Completely ridiculous and typical of the Bettman era.
 

chooch*

Guest
reckoning said:
When they went to 4 divisions in `74-`75 teams played the teams in their division 6 times and the rest of the teams 4 times ( a few 5 to make 80 games). When Cleveland dropped out in `78 teams played their division rivals 8 times and everyone else 4 times. The schedule was completely balanced for `79-`80 and `80-`81. In `81-`82 they switched to playing teams in their division 8 times and all the other teams 3 times.

All of those were better than the current format. Imagine if during the prime of Orr or Gretzky that half the league could only watch them live once every 3 years. Completely ridiculous and typical of the Bettman era.

What were the rules for playoffs?
 

HVPOLARBEARS19

Registered User
Nov 17, 2005
2,055
0
NY
Talk about not making sense..LA with the Leafs..? Wow, talk about stupid...what they should have done is this...

Adams: Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal
Norris: California, Vancouver, LA, Minnesota
Patrick: NY Rangers, NY Islanders, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
Smythe: Chicago, St.Louis, Detroit, Kansas City, Atlanta

Having Atlanta in the Smythe is a little screwy. I guess you could put Washington in the Adams and Atlanta in the Patrick.

Oh well, didn't make sense, but now it's rectified for the most part.
 

reckoning

Registered User
Jan 4, 2005
7,012
1,251
HVPOLARBEARS19 said:
Talk about not making sense..LA with the Leafs..? Wow, talk about stupid...what they should have done is this...

It`s just as stupid now with Detroit playing teams like L.A. or Anaheim in the first round. Meanwhile they`re close to Toronto and have a traditional rivalry with that team but only visit there once every 3 years :shakehead
 

GuloGulo

Registered User
Nov 16, 2005
3,714
0
trunkofacamaro
reckoning said:
It`s just as stupid now with Detroit playing teams like L.A. or Anaheim in the first round. Meanwhile they`re close to Toronto and have a traditional rivalry with that team but only visit there once every 3 years :shakehead

That's all because Toronto bailed out on us and went to HNiC games vs Ottawa and Montreal :D The Central/Norris hasn't been the same since.
 

reckoning

Registered User
Jan 4, 2005
7,012
1,251
GuloGulo said:
That's all because Toronto bailed out on us and went to HNiC games vs Ottawa and Montreal :D The Central/Norris hasn't been the same since.

Yes, but even in the 80s every team visited every arena at least once a year. It was Bettman and his boys (i.e. Karmonos) who cooked up this once every 3 years nonsense.
 

HVPOLARBEARS19

Registered User
Nov 17, 2005
2,055
0
NY
The fact that Toronto and Detroit don't play is one of the dumbest things in pro-sports. That was one of the best rivalries, and always such a fun game to see. Whenever any original 6 teams played, it would be exciting.
I know this could never happen or anything, but I would LOVE to see a division of the original 6 teams...it might sound like a total pipe dream, but if they did expansion, what about something like this...
By the way, I'm totally just throwing this out there, so don't kill me if you don't like it...

Eastern Conference

Original 6 Division:
Rangers
Wings
Hawks
Leafs
Bruins
Canadiens

Northern Division:
Senators
Sabers
Devils
Islanders
Philly

SouthEast Division:
Carolina
Washington
Atlanta
Tampa
Florida

Western Conference

SouthWest Division:
LA
Phoenix
Dallas
Houston (Expansion Team)
Anaheim
San Jose

Central Division:
St. Louis
Columbus
Nashville
Minnesota
Colorado

NorthWest Division:
Calgary
Vancouver
Edmonton
Winnipeg (Expansion Team)
Portland (Pittsburgh relocation)

Now of course there are some problems, like some rivalries may be put on the backburner, but for the most part I tried to keep it together. The reason I added expansion teams is b/c if there was a division of 6, then there would be an uneven amount of teams in the conferences. Also, I had to move Pittsburgh (not implying they will move in real life or anything, just logistics, and since they have been rumored to POSSIBLY be moving, I figured I could use this)
There are some problems like there always are, Mainly the fact that Minnesota and Colorado are no longer with the 3 Canadian teams of the West, but I couldn't figure out anything else, unless you would say that Pittsburgh would move to KC, and then put Winnipeg, or another expansion team in the central and move COL and MINNY back to the northwest.

Anyway, this is just for fun, so critque, change, etc., what do you think?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->